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Thai court sentences activist to two years for royal insult law
The conviction stems from a March 2022 live stream made near a royal motorcade as police dispersed farmers protesting in Bangkok.
A Thai criminal court sentenced 25-year-old activist Tantawan Tuatulanon to two years in prison for violating the country’s royal insult law, the legal advocacy group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said, citing a conviction issued on Monday and reported by SCMP Economy.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, the case relates to a live stream she aired near a royal motorcade in March 2022, when her comments questioned police conduct as officers dispersed farmers protesting along the route of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s motorcade in Bangkok.
The court found that she intended to defame the monarchy and said her conduct showed “not a good-faith exercise of rights”, with the group adding that she had insulted the monarchy on multiple occasions.
Her lawyer, Khumklao Songsomboon, said she would appeal, arguing the posts were an exercise of freedom of speech focused on questioning police work and the right to assembly.